Without Any Warning
by Revvie-S
Summary: Unforeseen circumstances on a mission shake Sam's world. Warning- Minor character death. Sam and Jack UST


"Receiving Tok'Ra ID, General!"

"Open the iris."

General Hammond trotted down the stairs to the Gateroom, soon to be joined by Major Carter and Daniel, who had also heard the klaxons sounding. The Stargate shimmered with blue light as Jacob Carter emerged from the event horizon flanked by a female Tok'Ra on one side and a young male Tok'Ra on the other. Samantha Carter ran up to Jacob smiling.

"Dad!" she called out.

Jacob hugged her briefly but turned his attention to Hammond, with an urgent light in his eyes.

"Hey, Sam, hey, George. I'm sorry to show up without any warning like this, but we've got an urgent situation at the Tok'Ra research outpost on Falnara. Can we talk?"

"Of course, this way."

They all filed up to the briefing room where O'Neill and Teal'C were now waiting. Jacob didn't waste a moment getting to the bottom line.

"The Falnara research base has been discovered and we estimate Goa'uld ships will arrive within 4 hours. We need time to find another planet on which to relocate. We don't want to put the main Tok'Ra base at risk by relocating there until we find out how the Goa'uld discovered Falnara. We are asking for the SGC to provide temporary sanctuary for about 65 Tok'Ra. Can you help us?"

General Hammond considered the request for a few minutes silently.

"Under the condition that for security purposes all refugees must remain in custody on base for the duration of their stay, of course. We don't mean to offend the Tok'Ra, but we have had several incidences with Goa'uld spies hiding in your ranks."

The three visitors conferred quietly together. Then Jacob turned to General Hammond and the others.

"We accept your terms, and will begin the evacuation immediately."

"SG1, you will gear up and go to the Tok'Ra base and provide assistance until all the Tok'Ra and their things have been evacuated. Please relay to SG units 4 and 8 that they will also be on this mission. Jacob, our troops will arrive to give assistance in one hour. Is there anything else we can do to help?"

"You are already saving our lives. Thank you."

With that, the Tok'Ra headed back to the gate, after a quick hug between Sam and Jacob, and SG1 went to get ready for the rescue mission.

On the planet, under the surface in the tunnels that the Tok'Ra constructed and lived in to avoid being discovered by the Goa'uld, activity was already at a frenetic pace when SG1 arrived less than an hour later. Men and women were being evacuated through the Stargate on the surface while enough manpower had to remain behind in the tunnels to secure sensitive technology and cover up information that could fall into the wrong hands. Tok'Ra were packing equipment, food, and clothing into flexible bags a lot like military duffles. Unlike other Tok'Ra facilities which were accessible only by ring transport, the Fal'nara outpost had tunnels leading directly to the surface.

As SG1 came through the Stargate, they had to sidestep several Tok'Ra scrambling to prepare to evacuate everything and everybody through the Stargate to the SGC.

"Colonel O'Neill, thank you for coming," said the distinctive blended voice of Ganan,the elegant female leader of the outpost.

"The entrance to our base is in the dunes just over there beyond that rock outcropping. The tunnel extends down to our laboratory and living quarters. Can your personnel keep the Gate secure as we evacuate?"

"Of course," responded Jack immediately.

"SG4, take up positions around this perimeter. SG8, Major Braddock, get your units inside the tunnel and assist the Tok'Ra with the equipment they need to get through the Gate. Let's go!"

"This way, Major," Ganan directed as she turned and led the way down to the tunnel.

Some time later, Sam and Daniel were in position on the perimeter of the Stargate as were the four members of SG4, Jack and Teal'C.

"Sam, it's Dad," came Jacob Carter's deep voice through the two-way radio.

Sam was lying on her stomach on top of a sand dune just beyond the Stargate pointed out towards the dessert. In spite of the dire situation, she was admiring the deep purple-blue sky that faded to a dark red on the horizons. The desert sands around her reflected the same colors causing a mysterious richness of light.

Daniel was similarly situated on the dune but turned toward the Stargate in case the Goa'uld figured out a way to come through when their ships arrived. In the distance, Jack and Teal'C were in position on the far side of the Stargate, which was surrounded by uniformly featureless sand dunes in all directions. The soldiers of SG4 were closer to the Stargate, all but invisible in their shallow sand foxholes and desert camouflage. It would be impossible for the Gou'ald to approach the Stargate on foot or by air without being seen.

"Sam here, go ahead," she answered quietly, the tension of waiting for the unknown under such a distinctively alien sky beginning to spook her a little.

"We're bringing the last group of Tok'Ra up to the Gate now. I estimate there are two more loads of equipment that SG8 is bringing, and then Ganan and I will destroy the tunnels and we will be the last ones out. Copy, Sam?"

"Roger, Dad. Colonel, are you monitoring?"

"Copy that, Carter."

Sam could see O'Neill in the distance rise catlike to his feet and restlessly shake the sand off his arms and legs. Silhouetted against the deepening purple twilight, his lithe form moved with an easy grace. He pulled off his cap and shook it out and shoved it back down on his head.

The reddish sun was about to set and the light was quickly dimming. A cool wind had picked up enough to be whipping sand into the air, making their positions near the ground uncomfortable. One of the last groups of evacuees trotted out of the tunnel and activated the Stargate as O'Neill remained standing, looking uneasily around the horizon, more than ready to finish up this operation and get his teams to safety.

Time was up.

The whine of a death glider abruptly broke the silence. Not in sight yet, it was hard to pinpoint where it was coming from. Low lying cloud cover and approaching nightfall was in the glider's favor as it rapidly approached.

"All personnel, retreat to the Stargate now!" Ordered O'Neill. He knew that as long as the gate was connected with an outgoing wormhole to Earth, the Gou'ald could not use the Stargate against them.

"Jacob, how much longer? We've got incoming," O"Neill barked into his radio.

He cut the radio off and dove for the sand as the glider suddenly burst out of the clouds right over the Tok'Ra, laying down a row of staff cannon blasts. As the glider shot by and banked to turn and come back, two more gliders came in right behind with staff cannons blazing. The plain around the Stargate had burst into desperate action as people dove into the wormhole and others struggled to get the last of the Tok'Ra's essential equipment through the Gate, in the midst of enemy fire.

Sam and Daniel ran and skidded down the sand dune towards the tunnel opening. Daniel grabbed the arm of an injured SGC member sitting in a daze on the sand and pulled him up towards the Gate and safety.

"Sam!" Daniel gasped, "Come on now! We have to go!"

He paused for a minute, looking back for her, and then dove into the shimmering event horizon with his injured charge.

Sam watched them go but instead went further into the mouth of the tunnel, wondering why her Dad wasn't up to the surface yet.

Jack saw her disappear into the tunnel opening and ran towards where she had last been, Teal'C on his heels watching their six.

As they crossed in front of the Gate, Teal'C tripped over the body of a Tok'Ra.

He groaned.

"He's alive, O'Neill!" Teal'C reached down with one strong arm and easily raised the injured man.

"Get him home, Teal'C. I'm going to go get Carter."

Jack and Teal'C exchanged a look of concern and then Jack turned and continued towards the tunnels as Teal'C disappeared into the watery shimmer with a plop, the Tok'Ra thrown easily over his shoulder.

As the gliders flew away, a brief moment of respite allowed the rest of the victims and evacuees to get through the Gate, but just as Jack reached the entrance to the tunnel a mothership burst out of the clouds, flying impossibly low, and took up a stationary position just beyond the Gate.

They were preparing to ring down Jaffa ground troops!

"Dad! Where are you?" Sam shouted desperately into her radio.

O"Neill ran into the tunnel opening and dropped to his stomach at her side, protectively turning so his P-90 was pointed out towards the field of battle.

"Carter, we've got to go!" he said urgently, glancing back at her for a moment before continuing to scan the area.

"I know, sir, I'm sorry. Dad should be here already."

"We're on our way up, now, Sam, the tunnels are mostly destroyed. Ganan is injured but we'll be there in a minute or two. Jacob out."

Her father's voice rang clearly over the intercom, indicating he was close.

"Let's go, Jacob," hissed O'Neill to himself, keeping his anxious eyes on the sandy terrain outside.

"O'Neill, that is the last of the evacuees, the base is all clear."

Teal'C's voice came through the radio from the other side of the wormhole and was characteristically calm in spite of the circumstances.

"Good work, T. Keep the gate open a little longer. Carter and I are waiting for Jacob and Ganan."

Jack glanced over at Sam's worried countenance as she craned her neck down the dark tunnel. Jack wanted to order Sam through the gate to safety, but he knew she would never go without her father.

But any minute now ground troops would be upon them, and a run for the Gate could be suicide.

General Hammond had prepared for the Tok'Ra as much as he could in the limited time since the distress call had come but in spite of his efforts the scene at the SGC was nothing short of pandemonium. The injured, both Tok'Ra and SGC soldiers, numbered more than the infirmary was set up to handle, and the halls quickly filled with beds from the base quarters around the infirmary as all personnel pitched in to help.

Daniel and Teal'C remained in the Gateroom, waiting for their teammates to come through the wormhole that still remained open, but nobody came. Daniel kept his hand in the event horizon to keep the wormhole from shutting down.

"Doctor Jackson, I'm under orders to shut down the gate in 15 minutes, or immediately if hostiles breach the facility."

"I know, I know. They'll be here! Give them some more time."

"Jack!" Daniel called on the com. "You don't have much time!"

"I know, I know, give us a few more minutes!" Jack answered.

Jacob limped into view from the dark depths of the tunnels dragging a badly injured Ganan.

"The tunnel below is partially collapsed from glider blasts. Ganan was caught under a rockfall."

"Sshhh!" warned Jack.

Jaffa were now visible around the Gate, having ringed down to the surface from the mothership, trapping the four in the tunnel opening. Discovery was seemingly inevitable.

Sam and Jack crept stealthily to the edge of the tunnel opening and surveyed their opposition.

It appeared hopeless and Jack's heart sank. He really didn't want to die today, but even more, the thought of something happening to Sam was more than he could stand. His eyes strayed over to her and he found her watching him, her eyes full of the same unspoken fear for him. Sam broke eye contact and moved to the back of the cave to help Ganan.

Studying her familiar profile, He found himself wishing he had been trapped with anyone else but her and that she was safe on Earth.

As if reading his mind, Jacob crept up behind Jack and began whispering to him.

"The Jaffa may think everyone got out- I don't think they've seen us. I'm guessing they don't know we're still here. I'll provide a diversion and you get Sam and Ganan through that Gate."

"If they don't know we're here, maybe we can wait them out. They won't waste much more time here if they think the Tok'Ra are all gone. They'll give up and leave."

"We can't wait, Jack. Ganan's not going to make it much longer without the medical help the Tok'Ra can provide her back at the SGC. Her knowledge of the research at this base must be preserved at all cost. You've got to get her back safely, Jack."

Jack turned and began to protest, knowing Jacob was proposing a suicide mission, sacrificing himself to save them.

"It's an order, Jack, assuming I'm still General Carter and you're Colonel O'Neill."

They both knew that Jacob could no longer pull rank on Jack now that he was Tok'Ra and not U.S. military, but the sharp command had the effect on Jack that Jacob wanted. Jack automatically nodded his head, knowing it was probably their only chance.

Jacob put his hand on Jack's shoulder from behind, as Jack continued to watch through the tunnel mouth. Jack turned towards him.

"Jacob, take my radio. Your I.D.C. will be locked out of the dialing computer once we leave. If you dial Earth and communicate on the radio, we'll open the gate for you."

Jack pressed the radio into his hands, both of them knowing he would probably not have a chance to use it. They both crouched near the entrance, watching for some sort of break they could use to their advantage.

"Take care of my little girl," Jacob whispered.

Jack's eyes unexpectedly stung with tears as he realized the implication of that request.

The deepening twilight allowed Jacob to slip out and work his way around the dunes out of sight of the guards down by the Gate. Sam realized too late what Jacob had done, and Jack caught her by the hand as she jumped up from the injured Tok'Ra's side and tried to bolt towards the outside.

"No, Carter."

Jack pulled her back behind him and down into a sitting position. Silent tears ran down her cheeks and she pulled away from him a little.

"Get ready to carry Ganan through the Stargate with me, on my order, Carter."

Jack was whispering hoarsely in their crouched position at the entrance. They put their arms under Ganan's shoulders and set themselves like runners before the gun goes off in a race. A groan escaped the injured Tok'Ra, but her eyes were open and her lips were set in a thin, determined line.

A shout went up from one of the Jaffa near the Gate, and Sam and Jack saw them all move out towards the other side of the dunes across from the Gate. It was their only chance, and whatever Jacob was managing to do to distract them might not last long.

"Go," Jack quietly commanded, and they jumped to their feet and ran for their lives, dragging Ganan between them, marveling at the fact that the wormhole was still open.

Just as they reached the safety of the shimmering circle, Jack broke contact with Ganan and Sam and stepped back. As Ganan went through ahead of her, Sam saw what he had done out of the corner of her eye. She also stepped backwards away from the wormhole towards Jack, allowing Ganan to continue through alone, and yelled angrily,

"No you don't!"

She turned and ran past him towards the shouting Jaffa in the distance where she knew her father must be.

Swallowing his sudden anger and fear, Jack had no choice but to follow after her and provide cover as best he could. Just over the dune Sam found her father cornered by seven or eight Jaffa and she began shooting into their midst.

"Get down and stay down, Jacob!" Jack shouted as he also began shooting and taking out Jaffa.

The Jaffa were caught by surprise just long enough for Jacob, Sam and Jack to disable or kill all of them, and without missing a beat the three jumped up and ran back towards the Stargate.

"Dad! Are you okay?"

Sam ran up next to him as he stopped at the base of the Stargate by the DHD to catch their breath.

"Great, let's go," Jacob gasped.

He grabbed her shoulder and began half pulling her toward the Gate in his desperation to ensure her safety.

Just then a blast of zat fire hit Jacob and another blast hit Sam. She fell behind the DHD, inadvertently shielding herself. One Jaffa had managed to get back on his feet and pursue them to the Gate.

Jack turned and fired on him again, but not before Jacob was hit with a second deadly blast from the zat and lay unmoving on the ground.

Sam was semi-conscious, unable to stand, as Jack ran over to check Jacob and the Jaffa he had killed, and then ran to her.

"Dad!" Sam cried, staring in horrified disbelief at his body.

Jack looked back at Jacob, knowing instantly it was over for the older man, and then back to Sam.

"Sam, we've got to go," Jack pleaded, pulling her screaming to her feet. He wrapped his arms firmly around her chest and dragged her towards the Stargate, even as she fought against the effects of the zat and Jack's restraint of her and tried to go to her father's side.

"Sam, he was hit twice, he's gone," Jack told her with a tear-choked cry.

He was devastated by the pain-filled look in her eyes and his own dawning understanding of the finality of the scene unfolding before them.

"There's nothing you can do."

He pulled her close to him and turned her face away from the pitiful vision of her father's body still lying on the desert floor as they scrambled to the shimmering wormhole and fell through.

"Close the iris," Jack cried brokenly, as the two emerged on the other side.

They collapsed heavily onto the ramp in a heap.

The iris closed smoothly and the wormhole shut off behind it. The gateroom was full of SF's, Tok'Ra, and medical personnel as General Hammond reached Jack and Sam on the ramp.

"Jacob's dead," Jack choked out, still breathing heavily from the ordeal.

"What? How?"

"He was hit twice by zat fire. The Jaffa that attacked us are also dead."

General Hammond's eyes filled with tears, something Jack had never before seen in Hammond. The shock of losing one of his oldest friends was hitting him hard.

Hammond grasped Sam around the shoulders and hugged her to him. She went limply into his arms, her face milky white, her body unresponsive to the man's words and gesture of sympathy.

"Major Carter is in shock," the medic standing closest to them offered as he leaned down to look into her face.

"Carter was hit with a zat just before we came through," Jack coughed out, still half sprawled on the ramp.

"Okay, medic, get Major Carter and Colonel O'Neill to the infirmary. Colonel, we'll debrief tomorrow, the time will be determined later. Let's get you two and Ganan taken care of first."

As Sam was carried away, Hammond leaned down to deliberately catch the eyes of his devastated 21C.

"You did good, Jack."

General Hammond then stood and left abruptly to go and deal with the loss in his own way. Sam had rallied a little by the time they reached the infirmary but was still not talking or making eye contact with anyone.

Almost as soon as Jack was assigned to a bed, he popped back up and stubbornly situated himself at the head of Sam's gurney, talking to her gently, telling her she was home and safe, to take things one step at a time.

She reached out and grabbed his hand.

"Please, Colonel, take me home, I need to get out of here," she whispered.

"Soon, Carter, just let the doctor check you out first, okay? Hang in there a few more minutes," Jack soothed.

Daniel came bounding into the infirmary just then with Teal'C behind.

"We just heard you're back," Daniel said to them, not mentioning out loud the other news he had heard.

Daniel squeezed Sam's arm, his eyes full of compassion.

She tried repeatedly to sit up but the doctor on the other side of the bed held her down as he examined her.

"I'm not hurt!" Sam cried, exasperated, fighting the doctor's attempts to keep her down.

Daniel and Teal'C backed away to give the doctor room, but Jack remained planted obstinately at the head of the bed, defiantly holding Sam's hand with a face like thunder for anyone who might even suggest he move.

"Can she go now?" Jack demanded more than asked.

"She is uninjured, other than the after effects of the zat blast and the emotional shock," the doctor finally announced and backed off a little.

"Okay, so she can go, right?" Jack asked again.

"Yes, Colonel, she is free to go," the doctor conceded.

Daniel and Teal'C closed back in on their two teammates, trying to help and reaching out to touch her as Sam stood up and attempted to slip on her fatigue jacket.

Daniel and Teal'C each hugged her tenderly in turn, and she wrapped trembling arms around them, trying to draw in their strength.

The bond between the four had never been so evident as now, for they surrounded her like a force field as Sam looked around with a lost gaze and began to move towards the door.

"Thanks guys, I'm glad you're here," Sam's voice quivered.

"I really need to go home," she said, repeating her sentiment from before.

"I'm taking you right now, Carter. Do you need us to get anything for you? From your quarters, your locker?"

Jack was searching his pockets for his truck keys and Daniel was still trying to help pull her fatigue jacket on over her shoulders.

"Just take me home."

"Sure thing."

Jack and Sam arrived at her house sometime after midnight, stumbling from exhaustion through the door. Sam was in a grief-filled daze as she fumbled to turn on a few lights.

Sam looked around her cozy living room in shock. How could everything look so unchanged, so unbearably normal, when nothing would ever be the same?

"You should get some sleep, Sam," Jack ventured.

She shook her head, unwilling to face the night alone.

"I'll just rest here in the arm chair for a while."

She flopped into a miserable heap as Jack sighed and went down the hallway to Sam's linen closet, fetching a blanket and pillow. She allowed him to help her get settled in but then turned her faceinto the back of the chair and burrowed into the pillow.

Jack ended up spending the night on Sam's sofa, after watching some late night TV and eating some of Sam's leftover Chinese takeout. Sam was so tired she had fallen asleep without dinner in the easy chair next to Jack, who lay sprawled on the sofa.

He had intended to get her up later and make sure she slept in a real bed, but when he awoke, it was already morning and the two of them were still in the living room, Sam still asleep in the chair, Jack sprawled on a pile of pillows.

He rubbed the sleep from his eyes and rose to go to the kitchen and make coffee.

As it began to perk and fill the kitchen with a rich aroma, Sam stirred and sat up. Jack heard her yawn and sigh and then suddenly begin to cry, as consciousness came fully upon her and the events of the previous day flooded her mind.

"Sam?" he asked as he came back into the living room and sat down on the arm of the chair.

Sam was crying into her hands so that he couldn't see her face. Jack knelt down in front of her at eye level and tenderly cupped her face in his hands.

She looked up into his eyes then and cried harder, wrapping her arms around his neck.

It was as if the frozen shock of the previous day had melted into a river of grief and she was unable to stop its course.

Jack pulled her up just enough so he could slip under her and then sat them both down together in the chair. He held her close and waited for the storm to subside, knowing she needed this but would probably not allow herself such a show of emotion in front of him again.

Soon, as he had silently predicted to himself, Sam pulled away a little and was collecting herself with great effort, looking not a little embarrassed to find herself crying uncontrollably in her CO's arms.

"I'm sorry," she finally managed to say, ineffectually swiping at her eyes and cheeks, trying to get up.

"Don't be," Jack answered.

"I was there, you know. I can't imagine how horrible it was to see your Dad shot and killed right in front of you."

Sam's face and body crumpled into tears again.

"Just cry, don't try to be strong. I know how hard it is to lose someone you love, Sam."

She saw truth and rare vulnerability in his eyes and drew in close to him again.

Sam felt incredibly out of control, but by degrees, she allowed herself to relax and accept Jack's comfort, knowing he really did know a thing or two about grief. The freshness of her loss seemed unmanageable, as if every movement or word broke open the wound again.

Jack seemed to understand what was happening and, sensing that, Sam felt safe with him.

Without crowding her, he calmly held her as she cried. She closed her eyes and willed herself to breathe slowly and deeply, grateful for his arms anchoring her, trying to recapture some semblance of control over her emotions.

They sat there for long, healing minutes, interrupted by the coffee pot's final loud perks and hiccups as the brewing cycle finished.

"Well, I need some coffee, Carter," Jack announced calmly, waiting to get up until she was ready.

"Me too," Sam sniffed, moving off his lap and walking over to the window in the kitchen.

"I guess there's enough for you too," Jack said lightly, and he went to get them each a mugful.

"Cream, two sugars?"

"Yup. Thank you."

Sam wiped her teary face with the terry cloth kitchen towel from the counter as she pulled herself together.

"There's a briefing today at 1100 hours. Just SG1 and the General- but you don't have to come if you're not up to it."

"I'll come in with you," Sam answered, suddenly feeling a strong reluctance to be alone.

"Good, I think you should. Wanna get ready?"

"I'll be ready in 30, is that fast enough?"

Sam was feeling stronger now, and she carried her coffee with her back to her bathroom to get washed and dressed.

Jack watched her go and sighed inwardly. He felt helpless in the face of her grief. He wished he could go back in time and somehow change yesterday's tragedy.

Jacob's unexpected and tragic death would leave a huge hole in all their lives.

He sipped his coffee slowly while he tried to put a lid on his own emotions for Sam, brought dangerously close to the surface by the events of the last day.

Three weeks later, after Jacob's memorial service and a week of downtime for SG1 during which Sam and her brother Mark settled their Dad's estate, SG1 was assembled in the Gateroom in full gear for their first off world mission since the tragic Tok'Ra evacuation. This mission was related to that fateful one three weeks ago, in that they were now helping the Tok'Ra relocate to a new secure location for their laboratory.

Ganan had made a full recovery and was currently directing the relocation from the Stargate room.

As Sam approached, adjusting her pack and gear, Ganan went up to her.

"Major Carter."

"Ganan, it is good to see you well."

"Thank you. Major, I will dearly miss Jacob and Selmak. I offer you my deepest condolences. I will never forget his sacrifice, or yours."

Ganan bowed and backed off, giving Sam the choice to respond or not as she wished.

"Thank you Ganan. I miss them too." Sam returned, as she finished her adjustments and straightened up. She smiled at the older woman.

Jack smiled to himself as he watched the interchange, encouraged that Sam seemed to be getting her bearings again.

"Okay, SG1," Hammond voice boomed across the room, "You are to provide perimeter protection on the planet until the Tok'Ra tunnels have been constructed and their laboratory is reassembled. I want you to report in every 24 hours until this mission is complete. Okay, move out!"

SG1 stepped through the wormhole and emerged on a world vastly different from Falnara. There was sand in all directions here, too, but it lined an azure ocean and was dotted with gorgeous oases. The breeze was light and cool and the sky was clear and blue. It looked like a picture postcard.

"Now this is more like it!" Jack enthused.

"How long is our mission here?" said Daniel.

"Not long enough," Jack sighed.

The Tok'Ra were now streaming through the StarGate behind them, but the beauty of the planet was wasted on them as they immediately got to work constructing their underground fortresses with serious looks on their faces.

"These people just do not know how to relax," Jack lamented.

"Seriously," Daniel agreed.

"Hey, I could do the relaxing for them. Permission to strip and go for a swim," he added hopefully.

"Permission denied, get to work!" Jack barked back, smirking, amazed that the independent archeologist had even bothered to ask for permission, and with that they fell in beside the Tok'Ra rendering assistance as needed.

The sun slowly set in a spectacular display as the day drew to a close, at which time the serious aliens finally did relax next to a few roaring fires and enjoyed their evening meal together. SG1 sat a little apart, next to their tents pitched near the ocean, eating MRE's and enjoying the view of the watery horizon.

"Perhaps this could be a joint base for rebel Jaffa and T'auri, O'Neill," suggested Teal'C, for even the serious Jaffa was falling under the planet's spell.

"Maybe Hammond could bring it up with Ganan. I'd say we have found an ally in her. She wants us to stay an extra week so she can get Carter to help set up some new research experiment."

Jack glanced sideways at Sam as he made this announcement.

"Really?" Sam perked up.

"Yeah, thought you'd like that. Spending weeks underground in a stinky laboratory when you could be up here catching rays on the beach…"

"...I'll catch the rays on the beach for her," volunteered Daniel.

"Sounds great, sir," Sam said earnestly.

She smiled and finished off her MRE. The noise of the waves was the only sound as the team settled back to enjoy the night.

"Think I'll go for a walk on the beach, Colonel. Would—you like to come with?"

Sam gave him a look to which Jack couldn't say no.

"Umm, sure!"

Daniel winked at Teal'C and Teal'C raised an eyebrow as the two walked off into the velvety darkness by the shore's edge.

"So, Carter," Jack finally ventured to speak out loud after they had walked in silence for what felt to him like a long time.

"How you doing?"

Sam knew what he meant.

"Better, every day is a little better, but I miss him. A lot. I guess I always will."

"You always will."

"Seeing all this, what he helped set up, what he saved and gave his life to protect- it's not as hard being here with the Tok'Ra as I thought it would be. It makes me feel close to him, proud of him. This is his legacy, sir. He loved the second chance he had with the Tok'Ra. And he made a difference. Not just on earth, but in the galaxy."

Her voice choked up and she stopped.

"That he did, Sam. I miss him, too."

They walked a while in solemn companionship.

"Jack?"

His eyes widened at the use of his first name, but he let it go, curious and hopeful to see where this might be leading.

"What, Sam?" he answered in kind.

He waited through a long silence.

They had stopped walking and he could just see her in the dark, tensely standing before him studying her hands.

"Forget it."

She turned to start back the way they had come.

"No you don't. Tell me. Let's just be Jack and Sam right now, okay?"

Jack stopped her with his hands on her shoulders.

"Uhhh, okay, well. I just wanted to say thanks. Thank you for staying with me that first night... after what happened on Falnara. It meant a lot to me."

"I had to stay. You know I'd do anything for you," Jack said so softly she could barely hear him.

Sam froze for a moment, then boldly reached up to slip her hand around his neck and stunned him by kissing him softly. She backed off a few steps before he could respond.

"Guess you'll have to report me, sir," she teased uncertainly, amazed at her own audacity.

Without hesitation, he closed the distance between them and pulled her into a reassuring hug, planting an equally audacious kiss on her forehead.

"Now we're even."

Knowing they were probably over the line they reluctantly pulled apart after a lingering hug and started back to camp.

But they were both smiling like Cheshire cats into the dark, cherishing this moment of stolen closeness, knowing their world was a bit warmer and a bit brighter just because they were in it together.


End file.
